OF, the Pepcid helps, but knowing when to give the cut up tablet is a matter of experimentation on
what works best for KD. The 1/4 of a 10mg Original Strength Pepcid should be given 15 to 30 minutes
before KD eats to get in there and start working to reduce stomach acid production and stop KD from
associating eating with stomach upset. As the disease progresses, that can change eating behavior.
My cats used to be able to eat in one straight shot. Now they eat a small amount, take a break, and
come back for the rest. The idea is to prevent vomitting and fluid loss, too, and the Pepcid definitely
helps. So keep giving it shortly before eating as long as the pill doesn't immediately come back up. Then
you have to change when you give it, but hopefully that won't happen for a while. Hope KD's appretite
picks back up soon.
Best love to KD and you.

Thanks everyone!

3cat: unfortunately she's a nibbler. I've never been able to get her to eat on schedule. So I just try to give her the pill at the same time every day and hope the relief prompts her to eat.

Great news about the pepcid...it made Jessica feel better real fast last year...  continued prayers coming your way!

OF, Pepcid is a great drug and has helped me with many of my kitties.  One of the nice "side effects" is in some cats it can act like an appetite stimulant.  I've actually used it as just an appetite stimulant prescribed by the vet since some of the real appetite stimulants zone the cats out or can make them irritable a bit.

Glad to hear it's working and best wishes to KD.

OF, so glad to hear the pepcid is working!

OF -  I find giving Kaffe weak camomille tea just before eating settles his tummy quite nicely.  It is very safe and benign and I introduced it to Kaffe slowly - no more than 5mls via oral syringe at a time and then gradually giving more.  He actually likes the mild taste.   I also give it when I see him smacking his lips signalling nausea.  It realy helps him, enabling me to give ranitidine anti-acid only once a day at night.

So, there's bad news, good news and great news.

The bad: as I mentioned earlier, KD's condition is progressing. In general over the last few months, she's eating less, drinking more, and having more upset stomach issues. At over a year since her initial crash and CRF diagnosis, this isn't a surprise - the real surprise is that it took this long.

The good: she is still happy and comfortable. She isn't hiding out in corners or avoiding us; rather, she cuddles up to us for purrs and attention any chance she gets. She even plays from time to time. Despite her worsening illness, she still has great quality of life.

And now the great ....

I've been trying just about everything to get her to eat. Periactin still has some effect, but doesn't work nearly as well as it used to. Pepcid seems to settle her stomach, but isn't having much effect on her appetite. She's been on a prescription renal diet since she got sick.

So I decided, if she won't eat the prescription food, maybe she'll eat the stuff she was eating before she got sick - Wellness Turkey. I still have some leftover cans, so I put some down last night. When I woke up this morning, she'd dug in so enthusiastically that there was food all over the floor near her dish, and the middle of it was licked clean! I have not seen her this excited to eat in a long time.

Hopefully it really is the taste of the food, and not just excitement over something "new." If she keeps eating it this well, I'm going to transition her off the prescription food and back onto the Wellness. It may not be as good for her kidneys, but I'd rather see her eat something she likes and be happy.